Tank pressurization control for air carts

ABSTRACT

A pneumatic valve for an agricultural product distribution system includes a fan inlet, a tank outlet, a shuttle, a control pressure inlet, and a diaphragm. The fan inlet is coupled to an air source that supplies an air stream into a primary line, which facilitates distributing a granular product to an agricultural implement by guiding the air stream from a first section to a second section of the primary line, the first section having a larger cross-sectional area than the second section. A tank outlet is fluidly coupled to a storage tank. The control pressure inlet is fluidly coupled to the second section of the primary line or to a meter housing. The diaphragm has a first side that is coupled to the shuttle and is exposed to static pressure in the storage tank and a second side that is exposed to the static pressure in the second section of the primary line or the meter housing, and aligns a shuttle hole of the shuttle with the fan inlet when the static pressure in the storage tank is not greater than the static pressure in the second section of the primary line or the meter housing by a threshold amount.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. Non-Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 14/932,345, entitled “TANK PRESSURIZATION CONTROLFOR AIR CARTS,” filed Nov. 4, 2015, which claims priority from and thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/075,149, entitled“TANK PRESSURIZATION CONTROL FOR AIR CARTS,” filed Nov. 4, 2014. Both ofthe above referenced applications are hereby incorporated by referencein their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates generally to an agricultural product distributionsystem, and more particularly, to controlling the pneumatic distributionof a granular product.

Generally, a seeding implement (e.g., a seeder) may be towed behind anoff-road vehicle, such as a tractor, via a mounting bracket secured to arigid frame of the seeding implement. The seeding implement may includemultiple row units distributed across a width of the implement. Morespecifically, each row unit may deposit seeds at a desired depth beneaththe soil surface of a field as the seeding implement is towed. Forexample, each row unit may include a ground engaging tool or opener thatforms a seeding path (e.g., trench) into the soil. A seed tube may thendeposit a granular product, such as seeds and/or fertilizer, into thetrench. As the row unit travels through the field, closing discs maymove excavated soil back into the trench covering the granular product.In this manner, rows of seeds may be planted.

In certain configurations, the granular product may be delivered to therow units of the seeding implement from a centralized location, such asan air cart. The air cart may generally include a seed storage tank(e.g., a pressurized tank), an air source (e.g., a blower), and ametering assembly. More specifically, the granular product may begravity fed from the storage tank into the metering assembly, whichdistributes a desired flow rate of the granular product to each of therow units. For example, the air source may generate an air stream andthe metering assembly may control flow of seeds into the air stream suchthat the seeds are entrained in the air stream. The air stream may thenbe supplied to each of the row units via primary lines fluidly coupledbetween the metering assembly and the row units, thereby delivering thegranular product to each of the row units. As such, the desired seeddeposition may be facilitated by maintaining a desired relationshipbetween the static pressure in the storage tank and the static pressurein the primary line. When the difference between the static pressure inthe storage tank and the static pressure in the primary line are not inthe desired range, it may interfere with the seed flow, therebyproviding an undesirable seed flow rate to the row units.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Certain embodiments commensurate in scope with the originally claimedinvention are summarized below. These embodiments are not intended tolimit the scope of the claimed invention, but rather these embodimentsare intended only to provide a brief summary of possible forms of theinvention. Indeed, the invention may encompass a variety of forms thatmay be similar to or different from the embodiments set forth below.

In one embodiment, a pneumatic distribution system to distribute agranular product to an agricultural implement includes a first pressuresensor, a second pressure sensor, a valve, and a controller. The firstpressure sensor is configured to be fluidly coupled to a granularproduct storage tank and outputs a first signal indicative of a firststatic pressure in the storage tank. The second pressure sensor isconfigured to be fluidly coupled to a primary line that pneumaticallydelivers the granular product to the agricultural implement by guidingan air stream from a first section with a larger cross-sectional area toa second section with a smaller cross-sectional area. The secondpressure sensor outputs a signal indicative of the static pressure inthe second section of the primary line. The valve is configured to befluidly coupled between the storage tank and the primary line andselectively enables the air stream to flow from the primary line to thestorage tank. The controller, which is communicatively coupled to bothpressure sensors and the valve, instructs the valve to enable the airstream to flow from the primary line to the storage tank until the firststatic pressure is greater than the second static pressure by athreshold amount.

In another embodiment, a pneumatic valve used in an agricultural productdistribution system includes a fan inlet, a tank outlet, a shuttle, acontrol pressure inlet, and a diaphragm. The fan inlet is configured tobe fluidly coupled to an air source that supplies an air stream into aprimary line. The primary line facilitates distribution of a granularproduct to an agricultural implement by guiding the air stream from afirst section of the primary line to a second section of the primaryline, wherein the first section has a larger cross-sectional area thanthe second section. The tank outlet is configured to be fluidly coupledto a storage tank that stores the granular product and to facilitateflow of the granular product to the second section of the primary line.The shuttle includes a shuttle hole. The control pressure inlet isconfigured to be fluidly coupled to the second section of the primaryline or to the meter housing. The diaphragm has a first side and asecond side. The first side is coupled to the shuttle and is exposed tothe static pressure in the storage tank through the tank outlet. Thesecond side of the diaphragm is exposed to the static pressure in thesecond section of the primary line or the meter housing through thecontrol pressure inlet. The diaphragm is configured to move toward thetank outlet such that the shuttle hole is aligned with the fan inletwhen the static pressure in the storage tank is not greater than thestatic pressure in the second section of the primary line or the meterhousing by a threshold amount.

In a further embodiment, a pneumatic distribution system configured todistribute a granular product to an agricultural implement, wherein thepneumatic distribution system includes a first pressure sensor, a secondpressure sensor, a valve, and a controller. The first pressure sensor isconfigured to be fluidly coupled to a storage tank that stores thegranular product. The first pressure sensor is configured to output afirst signal indicative of a first static pressure in the storage tank.The second pressure sensor is configured to be fluidly coupled to ameter housing. The second pressure sensor is configured to output asecond signal indicative of a second static pressure in the meterhousing. The valve is configured to be fluidly coupled between thestorage tank and the primary line. The valve is configured toselectively enable the air stream to flow from the primary line to thestorage tank. The controller is communicatively coupled to the firstpressure sensor, to the second pressure sensor, and to the valve. Thecontroller is configured to instruct the valve to enable the air streamto flow from the primary line into the storage tank until the firststatic pressure is greater than the second static pressure by athreshold amount.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood when the following detaileddescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichlike characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an air cart, including an agricultural productdistribution system, in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the agricultural product distributionsystem of FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view of an embodiment of a valvethat may be used in the agricultural product distribution system of FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the valve of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a process for controlling the pressure in theagricultural product distribution system, in accordance with anembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed below. In an effort to provide a concise description of theseembodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not bedescribed in the specification. It should be appreciated that in thedevelopment of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering ordesign project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be madeto achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance withsystem-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from oneimplementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that sucha development effort might be complex and time consuming, but wouldnevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, andmanufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of thisdisclosure.

When introducing elements of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended tomean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,”“including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean thatthere may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Anyexamples of operating parameters and/or environmental conditions are notexclusive of other parameters/conditions of the disclosed embodiments.

Generally an agricultural product distribution system may include atowable agricultural implement to deposit a granular product into thesoil. As used herein, the granular product may be any suitableparticulate material that is desired to be deposited into the ground,such as various types of seeds and fertilizers. However, to simplify thefollowing discussion, the product will be described as seeds.Nevertheless, one or ordinary skill in the art would recognize that thetechniques described herein may be easily adapted for use with otherproducts.

More specifically, the agricultural implement may include row units thatopen the soil, dispense the granular product into the soil opening, andre-close the soil as the agricultural implement is towed across a field,for example, by an off-road work vehicle, such as a tractor.Additionally, the agricultural product distribution system may includean air cart that distributes the granular product to the row units onthe agricultural implement. More specifically, in some embodiments, ametering assembly on the air cart may pneumatically distribute thegranular product to the row units. For example, the metering assemblymay control output of the granular product from a storage tank into anair stream, which is then delivered to the row units via pneumatic lines(e.g., including a primary line coupled to the air cart) that fluidlyconnect the metering assembly to the row units.

Over its length, the cross sectional area of the primary line may change(e.g., shrinking). As such, pressure variations in the primary line maybe induced by the Venturi effect. Differences in the static pressure inthe storage tank and the static pressure in the primary line, as aresult of the Venturi effect or other factors, may have an undesirableeffect on the flow rate of the granular product out of the storage tankand into the primary line. For example, when the static pressure in thestorage tank is more than the desired value above the static pressure atthe change in cross sectional area (e.g., Venturi section), the granularproduct may flow out of the tank at a higher rate than desired.Alternatively, when the static pressure at the change in cross sectionalarea (e.g., Venturi section) exceeds the static pressure in the storagetank, the granular product may flow out of the storage tank at a lowerrate than desired.

Accordingly, as will be described in more detail below, embodimentsdescribed herein may improve the product flow consistency of the productdistribution system by controlling static pressure in the productdistribution system (e.g., in the storage tank). For example, oneembodiment discusses a pneumatic distribution to distribute a granularproduct to an agricultural implement, which includes at least twopressure sensors, a valve, and a controller. A first pressure sensor isfluidly coupled to a granular product storage tank and outputs a firstsignal indicative of a first static pressure in the storage tank. Asecond pressure sensor is fluidly coupled to a primary line thatpneumatically delivers the granular product to the agriculturalimplement by guiding an air stream from a first section with a largercross-sectional area to a second section with a smaller cross-sectionalarea, and then to a larger cross-sectional area section that providesthe product to the row units. The second pressure sensor outputs asecond signal indicative of a second static pressure in the secondsection of the primary line. In addition, or as an alternative to thesecond pressure sensor, a third pressure sensor may be fluidly coupledto a meter housing. The third pressure sensor outputs a third signalindicative of a third static pressure in the meter housing (e.g., thestatic pressure at an edge of a meter roller). In addition, or as analternative to the second pressure sensor, a fourth pressure sensor maybe fluidly coupled to a secondary line that is used to pressurize thestorage tank. The fourth pressure sensor outputs a fourth signalindicative of a fourth static pressure in the secondary line. It shouldbe understood, however, that any combination of sensors may be possible.For example, the disclosed techniques may utilize the first and/orfourth pressure sensors and the second and/or third pressure sensors.The valve is fluidly coupled between the storage tank and the primaryline and selectively enables the air stream to flow from the primaryline to the storage tank. The controller, which communicates with bothpressure sensors and the valve, instructs the valve to enable the airstream to flow from the primary line to the storage tank until the firststatic pressure is greater than the second static pressure by athreshold amount.

To help illustrate, a side view of an air cart 10 that may be used inconjunction with a towable agricultural implement to deposit seeds intothe soil is shown in FIG. 1. More specifically, the air cart 10 may beused to centrally store seeds and distribute the seeds to theagricultural implement. Accordingly, in the illustrated embodiment, theair cart 10 includes a storage tank 12, a frame 14, wheels 16, ametering assembly 18, and an air source 20. In the depicted embodiment,the air cart frame 14 may be coupled to the agricultural implement or anoff-road work vehicle via a hitch 19. As such, the wheels 16 may contactthe soil surface to enable the air cart 10 to be towed.

Additionally, the storage tank 12 may centrally store the seeds beforedistribution. In some embodiments, the storage tank 12 may includemultiple compartments for storing various flowable granular products 26.For example, one compartment may include seeds, such as canola ormustard, and another compartment may include a dry fertilizer. In suchembodiments, the air cart 10 may distribute the seeds, the fertilizer,or a mixture thereof to the agricultural implement.

Furthermore, as depicted, the metering assembly 18 is coupled to thebottom of the storage tank 12. More specifically, the metering assembly18 may enable seeds stored in the storage tank 12 to be gravity fed intothe metering assembly 18. The metering system 18 may then control theflow of seeds into an air stream generated by the air source 20, therebycontrolling seed distribution to the row units for deposition into thesoil. In some embodiments, the air source 20 may be a pump or blowerpowered by an electric or hydraulic motor, for example.

To more clearly illustrate, a schematic view of a pneumatic distributionsystem 21 is shown in FIG. 2. As illustrated, the pneumatic distributionsystem 21 includes the air source 20, the storage tank 12, and themetering assembly 18. More specifically, a primary line 22 is used toguide an air stream 24 generated by the air source 20 past the meteringassembly 18. It should be understood that a system having multiplestorage tanks 12 and metering assemblies may have multiple primary lines22. Additionally, the metering assembly 18 includes a meter housing 27and a meter roller 28 to control the flow of seeds 26 into the airstream 24. Although only one meter roller 28 is depicted, in otherembodiments the metering assembly 18 may include multiple meter rollers28 disposed adjacent to one another along a longitudinal axis.

As depicted, the meter roller 28 includes an interior cavity 30, whichmay receive a shaft that drives the meter roller 28 to rotate. In thedepicted embodiment, the cavity 30 has a hexagonal cross section.However, alternative embodiments may include various other cavityconfigurations (e.g., triangular, square, keyed, splined, etc.). In someembodiments, the shaft may be coupled to a drive unit, such as anelectric or hydraulic motor, to rotate the meter roller 28. Additionallyor alternatively, the meter roller 28 may be coupled to a wheel 16 by agear assembly such that rotation of the wheel 16 drives the meter roller28 to rotate. Such a configuration automatically varies the rotationrate of the meter roller 28 based on the speed of the air cart 10.

Additionally, the meter roller 28 may include multiple flutes 32 andrecesses 34. The number and geometry of the flutes 32 may be selected toaccommodate the seeds 26 being distributed. For example, in theillustrated embodiment, the meter roller 28 includes six flutes 32 and acorresponding number of recesses 34. In other embodiments, the meterroller 28 may include more or fewer flutes 32 and/or recesses 34. Forexample, the meter roller 28 may include 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18,20, or more flutes 32 and/or recesses 34. In addition, the depth of therecesses 34 and/or the height of the flutes 32 may be selected toaccommodate the agricultural product 26 within the storage tank 12. Forexample, a meter roller 28 having deeper recesses 34 and fewer flutes 32may be employed for larger seeds, while a meter roller having shallowerrecesses 34 and more flutes 32 may be employed for smaller seeds. Otherparameters such as flute pitch (i.e., angle of the flute relative to alongitudinal axis) and flute angle (i.e., angle of the flute relative toa radial axis) may also be varied in alternative embodiments.

For a particular meter roller 28 configuration, the rotation rate of themeter roller 28 may control the flow of the seeds 26 into the air flow24. For example, as the meter roller 28 rotates, seeds 26 held in arecess 34 of the meter roller 28 are transferred through an outlet 36into the primary line 22. The seeds 26 may then be entrained in the airstream 24, thereby forming an air/seed mixture 38. The mixture 38 maythen flow to the row units of the agricultural implement via pneumaticlines, where the seeds and/or fertilizer are deposited within the soil.

As depicted, the primary line 22 converges from a first cross-sectionalarea 40 to a second cross-sectional area 42 before reaching the outlet36, and then diverges to a third cross-sectional area 46 once theair/seed mixture 38 is formed. Differences in the static pressure in thestorage tank 12, the static pressure in the meter housing 27, and thestatic pressure in the primary line 22 may have an undesirable effect onthe flow rate of seeds 26 out of the storage tank 12 and into theprimary line 22. Changes in cross-sectional area of the primary line 22may create pressure variations in the primary line 22 (e.g., in aVenturi section 44) induced by the Venturi effect. Variations in thestatic pressure of the storage tank 12, the static pressure in the meterhousing 27, and the static pressure of the primary line 22 may alsoresult from factors other than the Venturi effect. For example, when thestatic pressure in the storage tank 12 is more than a desired valueabove the static pressure in the meter housing 27 or the static pressurein the primary line 22, seeds 26 may flow out of the storage tank 12 ata higher rate than desired. Alternatively, when the static pressure inthe primary line 22 or the static pressure in the metering sectionexceeds the static pressure in the storage tank 12, seeds 26 may flowout of the storage tank 12 at a rate lower than desired.

As such, one way to maintain predictable flow of seeds 26 into theprimary line 22 is to measure and control the pressure differentialacross the meter roller 28 (e.g., by monitoring the static pressure PS1in the storage tank 12, and the static pressure PS2 in the primary line22 and/or the static pressure PS3 in the meter housing 27). Morespecifically, a first pressure sensor 48 is fluidly coupled to thestorage tank 12 to facilitate determining PS1, a second pressure sensor49 is fluidly coupled to the primary line 22 to facilitate determiningPS2, and a third pressure sensor 50 is fluidly coupled to the to themeter housing 27 (e.g., disposed inside the meter housing 27 at the edgeof the meter roller 28). If a pneumatic distribution system 21 includesmore than one primary line 22, each primary line 22 may have its ownpressure sensor 49. One advantage of having a pressure sensor fluidlycoupled to the meter housing 27 (rather than a pressure sensor fluidlycoupled to the primary line 22) is that in configurations with multipleprimary lines 22, only one pressure sensor 50 is utilized, rather thanone pressure sensor 49 for each primary line 22. In some embodiments,the pneumatic distribution system may include a fourth pressure sensor51 fluidly coupled to a secondary line 52 that fluidly couples theprimary line 22 to the storage tank 12. The secondary line 52facilitates adjustment of the static pressures PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4.Each pressure sensor is configured to output a respective signalindicative of the determined pressure. Furthermore, a valve 54 fluidlycoupled to the secondary line 52 may be used to enable or disable theair stream 24 from flowing through the secondary line 52 and into tank12. As previously discussed, it should be understood that anycombination of pressure sensors may be possible. For example, thepneumatic distribution system may include the first 48 and/or fourthpressure sensors 51 and the second 49 and/or third pressure sensors 50.

To facilitate measuring and controlling the static pressures PS1, PS2,PS3, and PS4, a controller 56 may be communicatively coupled to thefirst pressure sensor 48, the second pressure sensor 49, the thirdpressure sensor 50, the fourth pressure sensor 51, and the valve 54. Forexample, the controller 56 may determine PS1 based on signals receivedfrom the first pressure sensor 48, PS2 based on signals received fromthe second pressure sensor 49, PS3 based on the signals received fromthe third pressure sensor 50, PS4 based on the signals received from thefourth pressure sensor 51, and/or control operation of the valve 54 bysending instructions to the valve 54. In one embodiment, the valve shownin FIG. 2 may be operated with a solenoid. Accordingly, the controller56 may include a processor 60 and memory 58. In some embodiments, theprocessor 60 may include one or more general purpose processors, one ormore application specific integrated circuits, one or more fieldprogrammable gate arrays, or the like. Additionally, the memory 58 maybe any tangible, non-transitory, computer readable medium that iscapable of storing instructions executable by the processor 60 and/ordata that may be processed by the processor 60. In other words, thememory 58 may include volatile memory, such as random access memory, ornon-volatile memory, such as hard disk drives, read only memory, opticaldisks, flash memory, and the like.

More specifically, the controller 56 may instruct the valve 54 to adjustits position (e.g., orientation) to control the static pressures suchthat the static pressure PS1 in the storage tank 12 and/or that staticpressure PS4 in the secondary line 52 is greater than the staticpressure PS2 in the primary line 22 and/or the static pressure PS3 atthe meter housing 27 by a desired threshold value. For example, thedesired difference range between the static pressure PS1 in the storagetank 12 or that static pressure PS4 in the secondary line 52 and thestatic pressure PS2 in the Venturi section 44 or the static pressure PS3in the meter housing 27 may be between 0.125 kPa and 1.246 kPa orbetween 0.125 kPa and 0.249 kPa.

It should be understood, however, that the embodiment described above ismerely one embodiment and that other configurations may be possible. Forexample, other embodiments may only have a pressure sensor 48 fluidlycoupled to the storage tank 12 and a pressure sensor 49 fluidly coupledto the primary line. Still other embodiments may only have a pressuresensor 48 fluidly coupled to the storage tank 12 or pressure sensor 51fluidly coupled to the secondary line 52 and a pressure sensor 50fluidly coupled to the meter housing 27. Yet another embodiment may havea pressure sensor 49 fluidly coupled to the primary line and a pressuresensor fluidly coupled to the meter housing 27. In each of theseembodiments, the described techniques (e.g., operating a valve 54 on asecondary line 52 based on a pressure differential) may be used tocontrol the pressures in the system such that the desired relationshipbetween measured pressures is achieved and maintained. For example, thevalve 54 may be operated such that a measured pressure upstream of themeter housing 27 is maintained at our around a threshold amount above ameasured pressure downstream of the meter housing 27. In the illustratedembodiment, a valve assembly 53 includes the valve 54 operated by thecontroller 56. However, in other embodiments, the valve assembly mayinclude an automatic valve disposed along the secondary line 52 andfluidly coupled to the meter housing 27 via a control pressure line 55.

A perspective view of an embodiment of a valve 61 is shown in FIG. 3.Valve 61 is an automatic valve. Unlike the valve 54 shown in FIG. 2, thevalve 61 shown in FIG. 3 is not operated by a controller. It should beunderstood that the systems and methods described herein could beimplemented by an electronically controlled valve, an automatic valve,or any number of any other valve types. As depicted, the valve 61includes a first housing 62, a second housing 64, a control pressureinlet 66, a spring 68, a diaphragm 70, washers 72, a bolt hole 74, ashuttle 76 having a first shuttle hole 78 and second shuttle holes 79,and a fan inlet 80. More specifically, in the depicted embodiment, thefirst housing 62 and second housing 64 are attached via flanges suchthat the diaphragm 70 is sandwiched between them. Additionally, asdepicted, the second housing 64 includes the control pressure inlet 66,which may be fluidly coupled to the Venturi section 44 or the meterhousing 27. The spring 68 is disposed inside the second housing 64 suchthat the spring 68 is substantially coaxial with the second housing 64.The spring 68 may be selected such that the spring constant of thespring 68 applies a force that corresponds to the desired thresholddifference between the static pressure PS4 in the secondary line or thestatic pressure PS1 in the storage tank 12 (which should be similar) andthe static pressure PS2 in the primary line 22 or the static pressurePS3 in the meter housing 27. More specifically, the spring 68 pressesagainst the back face of second housing 64 at one end and against afirst washer 72 at the opposite end, thereby urging the diaphragm 70toward the first housing 62 as the diaphragm 70 is exposed to PS2 or PS3(e.g., pressure in the Venturi section 44 or the pressure in the meterhousing 27) through the control pressure inlet 66.

Furthermore, as depicted, the diaphragm 70 is sandwiched by the firstwasher 72 on one side and a second washer 72 on the other. The bolt hole74 in the diaphragm 70 aligns with the holes in the washers 72 to enablea bolt to hold the diaphragm 70, the washers 72, and the shuttle 76together. A shuttle 76 with a first shuttle hole 78 and second shuttleholes 79 rest against the second washer 72. The air in the shuttle 76 isunder PS1 (e.g., the pressure in the storage tank 12) or PS4 (e.g., thepressure in the secondary line) and flows into the first housing 62through second shuttle holes 79, exposing the diaphragm to PS1 (e.g.,the pressure in the storage tank 12) or PS4 (e.g., the pressure in thesecondary line). It should be understood that though the shuttle 76 isshown with two circular second shuttle holes 79, there could be anynumber of second shuttle holes 79, and the second shuttle holes 79 couldbe of any shape, as long as the second shuttle holes allow air to flowfrom the shuttle into the first housing 62. When PS2 (e.g., pressure inthe Venturi section 44) or PS3 (e.g., the pressure in the meter housing27) is greater than PS1 (e.g., the pressure in the storage tank 12) orPS4 (e.g., the pressure in the secondary line 52), air drawn from theVenturi section 44 or the meter housing 27 into the second housing 64through the control pressure inlet 66 establishes a higher pressure inthe second housing 64 than the pressure in the first housing 62. Inresponse, the diaphragm 70 moves toward the first housing 62, pushingthe shuttle 76 toward the tank inlet 52, and causing the first shuttlehole 78 to align with fan inlet 80 such that air 24 flows into thestorage tank 12, thereby increasing PS1. When PS1 (e.g., the pressure inthe storage tank 12) or PS4 (e.g., the pressure in the secondary line52) is greater than PS2 (e.g., pressure in the Venturi section 44) orPS3 (e.g., the pressure in the meter housing 27) by the desired amount,the diaphragm 70 pushes against the spring 68, pulling the shuttle 76with it, closing the valve so that air may not flow from the fan inlet80 into the storage tank 12. The spring 68 may be selected such that thespring forces correspond to the desired threshold difference between thestatic pressure PS1 in the storage tank 12 or PS4 (e.g., the pressure inthe secondary line 52) and the static pressure PS2 in the primary line22 or the static pressure PS3 in the meter housing 27. The pressure inthe storage tank PS1 is relieved by air flowing out of the tank outlet36 along with the seeds 26.

To more clearly illustrate the components, an exploded view of a valve61 is shown in FIG. 4. It should be understood that the shuttle valve 61shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is but one of many possible embodiments of avalve. In other words, a person of ordinary skill in the art couldimplement the systems and methods described herein using any number ofvalve types.

As described above, the controller 56 may control operation of the valveto control the static pressures PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4. One embodimentof a process 82 for controlling the static pressures in the pneumaticdistribution system is shown in FIG. 5. Generally, the process 82includes monitoring static pressure in the storage tank (process block84), monitoring static pressure in the Venturi section and/or the meterhousing 27 (process block 86), determining whether static pressure inthe storage tank is a desired pressure above the static pressure in theVenturi section and/or the meter housing 27 (decision block 88), andopening a valve to pressurize the storage tank when the static pressurein the tank is not the desired pressure above the static pressure in theventure section and/or the meter housing 27 (process block 90). In someembodiments, one or more steps in the process 82 may be implemented byinstructions stored on a tangible, non-transitory, computer readablemedium, such as memory 58, and executable by processing circuitry, suchas processor 60.

In some embodiments, the controller 56 may monitor the static pressureSP1 in the storage tank 12 using the first pressure sensor 48 (processblock 84). More specifically, the first pressure sensor 48 may output asignal indicative of the static pressure PS1 in the storage tank 12 tothe controller 56. The controller 56 may also monitor the staticpressure SP4 in the secondary line 52 using the fourth pressure sensor51 (process block 84). The first pressure sensor 51 may output a signalindicative of the static pressure PS4 in the secondary line 52 to thecontroller 56. Similarly, the controller 56 may monitor the staticpressure PS2 in the Venturi section 44 using the second pressure sensor49 (process block 86). More specifically, the second pressure sensor 49may output a signal indicative of the static pressure PS2 in the Venturisection 44 to controller 56. The controller 56 may monitor the staticpressure PS3 in the meter housing 27 using the third pressure sensor 50(process block 86). More specifically, the third pressure sensor 50 mayoutput a signal indicative of the static pressure PS3 in the meterhousing 27 to controller 56. Similarly, the controller 56 may monitorthe static pressure PS4 in the secondary line 52 using the fourthpressure sensor 51 (process block 86). More specifically, the thirdpressure sensor 50 may output a signal indicative of the static pressurePS3 in the meter housing 27 to controller 56.

The controller 56 may then compare the static pressure PS1 in thestorage tank 12 and/or the static pressure PS4 in the secondary line 52to the static pressure PS2 in the Venturi section 44 and/or the staticpressure PS3 in the meter housing 27 (decision block 88). When thecontroller 56 determines that the static pressure PS1 in the storagetank 12 and/or the static pressure PS4 in the secondary line 52 is atleast a desired threshold value above the static pressure PS2 in theVenturi section 44 and/or the static pressure PS3 in the meter housing27 (e.g., the difference between PS1 and/or PS4 and PS2 and/or PS3 iswithin a desired range), the controller 56 may close the valve or keepthe valve 54 closed and return to monitoring the static pressure in thestorage tank 12 and/or the static pressure PS4 in the secondary line 52(arrow 92).

On the other hand, when the controller 56 determines that the staticpressure PS1 in the storage tank and/or the static pressure PS4 in thesecondary line is not above the static pressure PS2 in the Venturisection 44 and/or the static pressure PS3 in the meter housing 27 by thedesired threshold value (e.g., difference between PS1 and/or PS4 and PS2and/or PS3 is not within a desired range), the controller 56 mayinstruct the valve 54 to open. As such, the air stream 24 may flowthrough secondary line 52 and into tank 12, thereby increasing thestatic pressure PS1 in the storage tank 12 and/or the static pressurePS4 in the secondary line 52. The controller 56 may then return tomonitoring the static pressure in the storage tank 12 and/or the staticpressure PS4 in the secondary line 52 (arrow 92).

It should be understood that the desired threshold value or differencerange may be adjusted as desired. For example, the desired differencerange between the static pressure PS1 in the storage tank 12 and/or thestatic pressure PS4 in the secondary line 52 and the static pressure PS2in the Venturi section 44 and/or the static pressure PS3 in the meterhousing 27 may be between 0.125 kPa and 1.246 kPa or between 0.125 kPaand 0.249 kPa.

As previously discussed, other embodiments may be possible based onvarious pressure sensor locations. For example, similar techniques maybe used to monitor and control a difference between PS1 and PS2, PS4 andPS2, PS1 and PS3, PS4 and PS3, or PS3 and PS2 such that a threshold oracceptable difference between the measured pressure upstream of themeter housing 27 and the measured pressure downstream of the meterhousing is maintained.

Accordingly, embodiments described herein may provide the technicalbenefit of improving consistency of seed distribution in an agriculturalproduct distribution system. More specifically, a valve may be used toadjust the static pressure in a storage tank in relation to the staticpressure in a primary line to reduce the possibility of seed flowdisruptions caused by unintended pressure variations. In someembodiments, the valve may open to supply air from the primary line tothe storage tank, thereby increasing the static pressure of the storagetank. In this manner, the difference between the static pressure in theprimary line and the static pressure within the storage tank may bemaintained within a desired range.

While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed herein, many modifications and changes will occur to thoseskilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appendedclaims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fallwithin the true spirit of the invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A pneumatic valve for an agriculturalproduct distribution system, comprising: a fan inlet configured to befluidly coupled to an air source configured to supply an air stream intoa primary line, wherein the primary line is configured to facilitatedistributing a granular product to an agricultural implement by guidingthe air stream from a first section of the primary line to a secondsection of the primary line, wherein the first section has a largercross-sectional area than the second section; a tank outlet configuredto be fluidly coupled to a storage tank, wherein the storage tank isconfigured to store the granular product and to facilitate flow of thegranular product to the second section of the primary line; a shuttlecomprising a shuttle hole; a control pressure inlet configured to befluidly coupled to the second section of the primary line; and adiaphragm having a first side and a second side, the first side coupledto the shuttle, wherein the first side of the diaphragm is exposed to astatic pressure in the storage tank through the tank outlet, and thesecond side of the diaphragm is exposed to the static pressure in thesecond section of the primary line through the control pressure inlet,wherein the diaphragm is configured to move toward the tank outlet suchthat the shuttle hole is aligned with the fan inlet when the staticpressure in the storage tank is not greater than the static pressure inthe second section of the primary line by a threshold amount.
 2. Thepneumatic valve of claim 1, comprising a spring coupled between thesecond side of the diaphragm and the control pressure inlet, wherein thespring is configured to provide a force that substantially correspondsto the threshold amount.
 3. The pneumatic valve of claim 1, wherein theshuttle is configured to enable the air stream to flow into the storagetank to increase the static pressure in the storage tank.
 4. Thepneumatic valve of claim 1, comprising a first housing coupled to thefirst side of the diaphragm and a second housing coupled to the secondside of the diaphragm.
 5. The pneumatic valve of claim 4, wherein thefirst housing comprises a first flange and the second housing comprisesa second flange.
 6. The pneumatic valve of claim 5, wherein thediaphragm is captured between the first flange and the second flange. 7.The pneumatic valve of claim 1, comprising a first washer in contactwith the first side of the diaphragm, and a second washer in contactwith the second side of the diaphragm.
 8. A pneumatic valve for anagricultural product distribution system, comprising: a fan inletconfigured to be fluidly coupled to an air source configured to supplyan air stream into a primary line, wherein the primary line isconfigured to facilitate distributing a granular product to anagricultural implement by guiding the air stream from a first section ofthe primary line to a second section of the primary line, wherein thefirst section has a larger cross-sectional area than the second section;a tank outlet configured to be fluidly coupled to a storage tank,wherein the storage tank is configured to store the granular product andto facilitate flow of the granular product to the second section of theprimary line; a shuttle comprising a shuttle hole; a control pressureinlet configured to be fluidly coupled to a meter housing; and adiaphragm having a first side and a second side, the first side coupledto the shuttle, wherein the first side of the diaphragm is exposed to astatic pressure in the storage tank through the tank outlet, and thesecond side of the diaphragm is exposed to the static pressure in themeter housing through the control pressure inlet, wherein the diaphragmis configured to move toward the tank outlet such that the shuttle holeis aligned with the fan inlet when the static pressure in the storagetank is not greater than the static pressure in the meter housing by athreshold amount.
 9. The pneumatic valve of claim 8, comprising a springcoupled between the second side of the diaphragm and the controlpressure inlet, wherein the spring is configured to provide a force thatsubstantially corresponds to the threshold amount.
 10. The pneumaticvalve of claim 8, wherein the shuttle is configured to enable the airstream to flow into the storage tank to increase the static pressure inthe storage tank.
 11. The pneumatic valve of claim 8, comprising a firsthousing coupled to the first side of the diaphragm and a second housingcoupled to the second side of the diaphragm.
 12. The pneumatic valve ofclaim 11, wherein the first housing comprises a first flange and thesecond housing comprises a second flange.
 13. The pneumatic valve ofclaim 12, wherein the diaphragm is captured between the first flange andthe second flange.
 14. The pneumatic valve of claim 8, comprising afirst washer in contact with the first side of the diaphragm, and asecond washer in contact with the second side of the diaphragm.